Karen Bass fails VP vetting; Duckworth, Rice, Harris, and Warren still in the hunt

[onetexan]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/1/1965672/-Cross-Karen-Bass-off-the-VP-list-please-but-we-re-going-to-be-fine?detail=emaildkre

"I laid this new case in a post advocating for California Rep. Karen Bass. The argument could be summaries as follows:
1. Biden’s VP should maximize Democratic chances for victory.
2. Donald Trump and downballot Republicans are losing. And losing big-time.
3. Trump and his Republican base are demoralized and flailing.
4. VP nominee should not excite Trump or his demoralized base.
5. VP nominee should do no harm.

At the time, Bass fit the bill: As a relative political unknown, neither Trump nor the Republican right-wing noise machine would have the time to build a case against her. She wouldn’t give Republicans or Trump a shot of energy. We couldn’t say that about either Warren or Obama national security advisor Susan Rice (Benghazi!).

But new revelations about Bass means she now fails point #5: “do no harm.”
_______________________________________________________________________________

Well if this is true i'm breathing a sigh of relief.
KAMALA FOR VEEP!!

[Desert grandma]

1. I tend to agree with this post.

I think he will pick Harris or Rice. Anyone who is not picked probably has a spot in his cabinet if they want it.

[ananda]

33. Warren needs to stay in the senate.

MA has a Reep governor who will appoint
a Reep in her place.

[underpants]

2. I'd say it has to be Rice or Harris

Congress people just don’t have the name recognition and in this environment it’s going to be hard to really introduce them. Mayors either.

[Demsrule86]

30. Nope both hurt down ballot IMHO...Tammy Duckworth is the one.

She is perfect.

[maxsolomon]

3. Kamala's SF Prosecutor/CA AG resume will be weaponized against the ticket.

To sow division in the party and create an accusation of hypocrisy/situational ethics.

So will Deming's past a Police Officer.

At the same time, I can see an argument for either INSULATING Biden against (ridiculous) charges of "wanting to eliminate the Police" or "not caring about Law & Order".

Selecting Rice, of course, will resurrect the entire Benghazi BS.

"We're in a tight spot!"
-Ulysses Everett McGill

[StarfishSaver]

7. These people managed to turn Kerry's heroic war service into a weapon against him ...

They will do the same thing to WHOEVER the nominee is.

Biden, of course, needs to be careful in choosing his running mate and not pick someone with unnecessary or unreasonable baggage. But any human being he chooses who is not Jesus Christ (and, given this crowd, maybe even Him) will be subjected to smears from the Republicans, so his selection shouldn't be overwhelmingly driven by fears of smears.

[RhodeIslandOne]

38. +100

His team will parse the reasonable problematic points and ignore the bullshit.

[mcar]

25. So, we should just give up?

[maxsolomon]

26. Yes, we should just give up.

[RhodeIslandOne]

37. They can't even decide if Biden is a far left socialist or a Washington insider

Stop. They will accuse everyone of everything.

[maxsolomon]

40. He's both! Schroedinger's Socialist!

The attacks on Harris' and Deming's tenures in LE are coming from the Democratic left. I get to hear them from FB friends and my daughter.

You're right; the GOP will slander anyone. However, since their only unifying principle is trolling, they take particular delight in accusing Dems of hypocrisy.

[Mike 03]

4. I'm warming up to the idea of Duckworth, but my favorite is still

Susan Rice.

[Bradshaw3]

5. I'm calling BS

The attackers would have a lot more ammunition with Harris or Rice. Bass answered the questions well. She would be an excellent choice,

[Mike Nelson]

6. All great, but...

... it will be funny to watch Repubs attack Harris as too liberal with criminals, or Duckworth on anything military. Of course, the Repubs will, anyway... but it will only further expose Crooked Donald's fans as deplorable.

[onetexan]

8. spot on, they'll attack no matter who it is. But with Bass there's no name recognition and

in the least with Kamala, Susan & Tammy's high visibility in the party and they have federal experience, so i'm all for these 3. As for Elizabeth, it's best she helps us retain that Senate seat.
My preference though is still for a black woman candidate. With the black community having resurrected Biden's campaign he/we need to select a black woman as our gesture of thanks to Black Americans for their dedication to our party and for helping to save us from disaster - another Orange presidency

[exboyfil]

10. Remember the Max Cleland Senate race

Don't put it past them to blame Duckworth for getting injured.

It seems that Republicans can only do one or two things "right" and they are heroes for all time.

Democrats have to be perfect in every respect.

[Demsrule86]

31. It is a different time....

Tammy will help down ballot...and has little to no baggage.

[Maru Kitteh]

34. Not for them it isn't. Same cult, different year. There is nothing magical about Duckworth

that renders them unable to reach for the lowest lows, as they have always done. She will be attacked on her military record, her legislative record and her person. Any/all of them would/will.

[ElementaryPenguin]

9. I strongly believe it will be Susan Rice.

[LaMouffette]

11. Val Demings is still my pick.

Kamala Harris has recently drawn criticism in the media for being too ambitious. Personally, that's one of the many things I love about Harris: she's tough, she's smart, AND she's ambitious. I love strong women. They inspire me to be a strong woman, too.

But remember: tough, smart, and ambitious are qualities that made so many people despise Hillary Clinton (much to our extreme and tragic detriment as a nation; Lord God, just think where we'd be today if only Hillary had won. Love you and voted for you, Hillary!).

My fear is that the Republicans will have an easy time transferring the vicious Hillary hatred of Trump's base over to Kamala.

So why Val Demings? I think Demings is just as tough, smart, and ambitious as Kamala, but there's something about her manner that gives her a kind of quiet power. She just seems sort of unassailable (although I know the Republicans will dredge up plenty to assail her on!). And she's a former police chief, and I could see her heading up a national program against police brutality.

Plus, to be politically pragmatic, we've already "got" California. With Val Demings on the ticket, we'd have a very big chance of winning Florida's electoral votes.

Anyway, if he picks Kamala, I will be extremely happy, too, but I think that Val Demings would be more immune to Republican attack politics.

[Awsi Dooger]

19. Republicans would have an easy time with Kamala

For all the reasons you mentioned. She is going to suffer big time on the misogynistic scale due to her personality. Kamala's favorable/unfavorable numbers were already as much as 12 points underwater -- 36/48 -- during the primary season.

How quickly we forget, or try to deny.

I like Rice then Demings. I'd still prefer to nominate a while male in forthcoming cycles due to margin for error. But we seem intent on pushing a female again. If so it has to be someone with a more naturally likable persona. Rice and Demings can criticize while smiling and maintaining ladylike impression.

[LaMouffette]

22. Yeah, isn't it weird and frustrating that . . .

a woman politician still has to keep an aura of femininity about her or she will risk being seen as too aggressive?

I hate that that's the case, but that's the political reality until America gets used to the idea of strong, forceful women in positions of power. I like Susan Rice, too, but I think they might attack her and Biden on the grounds that they were both part of Obama's administration.

I just watched an MSNBC segment on YouTube on Val Demings. Unfortunately, her record in the Orlando Police Department shows that she almost invariably came down on the side of the police officers when there were reports of police violence. But! That might be a good thing, because that would help deflect the Republicans' current strategy of warning that Joe Biden and the Democrats want to defund the police!

Here's that MSNBC segment on Demings:

[link:http://

|

[renate]

12. Warren is still my top choice for basically everything because she is amazing and I adore her

If she were a few years younger she would be perfect. Can you imagine a United States led into the 21st century (we're a couple of decades behind Europe) by her in an advisory role as VP and then as POTUS? We might even live up to our image of ourselves, at last.

But I'm starting to think it might be Tammy Duckworth for VP. She's the right age, and she's a bad-ass military hero... and a mom.

[BGBD]

13. Regardless of whatever qualities Bass has.....

You can't be on video giving a speech praising L Ron Hubbard and expect that you are going to be included as a major party VP.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

17. Politicians & community leaders beware - Scientology will use & abuse you - worming their

way into your lives in order to bring themselves credibility. At first it's a lot of love bombing, flattery, & lies (sound's like Bunker Boy's m.o.), then it's "donations" which often crosses the line to graft. And then it's something Scientology is particularly good at: blackmail. It's a hole no one should ever get near.

[calguy]

18. That's a FACT

[Beaverhausen]

14. I'm on team Tammy

[obamanut2012]

29. same

[wishstar]

15. Duckworth will be criticized relentlessly for problems at the VA during her tenure

There have been several publicized complaints and critics referred to as whistleblowers in media accounts alleging that she had not done enough to fix problems at VA, so we can expect that will be the focus if she is selected.

[Beaverhausen]

32. Did she run the VA at some point?

I wasn't aware of that.

[former9thward]

35. In Illinois.

She was head of the Department of Veterans Affairs. She was sued by employees for abuse and misconduct. The state settled for an undermined amount.

[Beaverhausen]

36. Oh that's not good

[Hortensis]

16. Bass taken out WAAAY too easily? Where're the clear eyes

and enough guts to spit at the insults to our intelligence and character? Two things Bass said long ago, that aren't even particularly bad in context, are the best they can come up with? For god's sake, at least a third of the people here had Bernie Sanders (!) as second or first for president* just a few months ago, and he not only spent years praising Cuba's communist revolution but just did again the other day. (*Caveat: Never me, but that's not the point.)

Harris is out also if that's all it takes, don't you know that? Gone looong ago!

And most of the others.

Come to think of it, any of the candidates NOT?

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Still rooting for Keisha Lance Bottoms. ❤ nt

[PunkinPi]

21. KAMALA! nt

[Brainfodder]

23. They will make up/believe awful about whoever the V.P. pick?

This country, it doesn't matter if its true in politics?

[Hortensis]

24. I suspect the attack on Bass is mostly an attack on Warren,

as is the media trope pushed by RW agents that their claims that Biden's both conservative and also being controlled by the radical left are "gaining traction." Yeah, right. Like the attempt to paint him as a sexual predator "gained traction."

A 2-fer, but it's Warren the predatory economic RW have been fearing.

[Behind the Aegis]

27. Rice or Duckworth for me.

Rice has the foreign affairs gig down pat, and though Biden is well-versed in that as well, given all the BULLSHIT he has to clean up at home, it would be prudent to make use of the VP to repair the damage done by the shit-weasels. As for Tammy, I just plain like her! Harris...ATTORNEY GENERAL!!!!!

[obamanut2012]

28. That is why Duckworth is my #1

Although Harris was my original #1 until she dropped out of the race. I also really like Harris, and would be more than fine with her, but Duckworth is the best IMO. As always, YMMV.

Duckworth is a decorated combat vet who paid a huge price for serving her country.

She does a huge amount for vet.

She is a WOC.

She is Midwestern.

She has a solid public service record.

Solid position on issues.

Has a Ph.D. in Human Services and an MA in International Relations.

[Vivienne235729]

39. I am rooting for Susan Rice. I think she will be absolutely necessary with for her foreign relations

experience. Trump/Putin have managed to inflict a good bodily wound to the USA and Susan Rice will be much needed to help get us back on track. Plus, she can bring in the AA vote AND will make a good POTUS should anything happen to Biden.

[Music Man]

41. Karen Bass makes no sense as a VP choice.

She doesn't have characteristics or a record that can't otherwise be achieved with anyone else on the VP list, and people with higher profiles and more compelling campaign street cred. And given her questionable statements, she just doesn't have the clout to justify her choice (in my opinion). I don't understand why there's been so much discussion about her.

My choices would be Harris or Duckworth. Susan Rice next. I used to think Elizabeth Warren would be my choice, but given the zeitgeist, I'm not sure there's appetite for an all-white, septuagenarian ticket.

[onetexan]

42. Bass being chosen for consideration has raised her profile for sure, but right off the bat she is

just too new to me to feel comfortable with. Would be good for Joe to appoint her to a position in his administration.

As for the other 3 - Rice, Harris & Duckworth - we know their background and the manufactured noise around them, all of which have been circulated and debunked. They've been vetted both due to their past & present positions and by the media. There's no convincing any rabid RW so that doesn't bother me. Any of these 3 highly accomplished women would be wonderful.